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"
Why
so
,
Mr.
Spilett
?
"
replied
Herbert
.
"
We
are
exactly
in
that
part
of
the
Pacific
which
English
and
American
whalemen
call
the
whale
field
,
and
it
is
here
,
between
New
Zealand
and
South
America
,
that
the
whales
of
the
Southern
Hemisphere
are
met
with
in
the
greatest
numbers
.
"
And
Pencroft
returned
to
his
work
,
not
without
uttering
a
sigh
of
regret
,
for
every
sailor
is
a
born
fisherman
,
and
if
the
pleasure
of
fishing
is
in
exact
proportion
to
the
size
of
the
animal
,
one
can
judge
how
a
whaler
feels
in
sight
of
a
whale
.
And
if
this
had
only
been
for
pleasure
!
But
they
could
not
help
feeling
how
valuable
such
a
prize
would
have
been
to
the
colony
,
for
the
oil
,
fat
,
and
bones
would
have
been
put
to
many
uses
.
Now
it
happened
that
this
whale
appeared
to
have
no
wish
to
leave
the
waters
of
the
island
.
Therefore
,
whether
from
the
windows
of
Granite
House
,
or
from
Prospect
Heights
,
Herbert
and
Gideon
Spilett
,
when
they
were
not
hunting
,
or
Neb
,
unless
presiding
over
his
fires
,
never
left
the
telescope
,
but
watched
all
the
animal
's
movements
.
The
cetacean
,
having
entered
far
into
Union
Bay
,
made
rapid
furrows
across
it
from
Mandible
Cape
to
Claw
Cape
,
propelled
by
its
enormously
powerful
flukes
,
on
which
it
supported
itself
,
and
making
its
way
through
the
water
at
the
rate
little
short
of
twelve
knots
an
hour
.
Sometimes
also
it
approached
so
near
to
the
island
that
it
could
be
clearly
distinguished
.
It
was
the
southern
whale
,
which
is
completely
black
,
the
head
being
more
depressed
than
that
of
the
northern
whale
.
They
could
also
see
it
throwing
up
from
its
air-holes
to
a
great
height
a
cloud
of
vapor
,
or
of
water
,
for
,
strange
as
it
may
appear
,
naturalists
and
whalers
are
not
agreed
on
this
subject
.
Is
it
air
or
is
it
water
which
is
thus
driven
out
?
It
is
generally
admitted
to
be
vapor
,
which
,
condensing
suddenly
by
contact
with
the
cold
air
,
falls
again
as
rain
.
However
,
the
presence
of
this
mammifer
preoccupied
the
colonists
.
It
irritated
Pencroft
especially
,
as
he
could
think
of
nothing
else
while
at
work
.
He
ended
by
longing
for
it
,
like
a
child
for
a
thing
which
it
has
been
denied
.
At
night
he
talked
about
it
in
his
sleep
,
and
certainly
if
he
had
had
the
means
of
attacking
it
,
if
the
sloop
had
been
in
a
fit
state
to
put
to
sea
,
he
would
not
have
hesitated
to
set
out
in
pursuit
.
But
what
the
colonists
could
not
do
for
themselves
chance
did
for
them
,
and
on
the
3rd
of
May
shouts
from
Neb
,
who
had
stationed
himself
at
the
kitchen
window
,
announced
that
the
whale
was
stranded
on
the
beach
of
the
island
.
Herbert
and
Gideon
Spilett
,
who
were
just
about
to
set
out
hunting
,
left
their
guns
,
Pencroft
threw
down
his
ax
,
and
Harding
and
Neb
joining
their
companions
,
all
rushed
towards
the
scene
of
action
.
The
stranding
had
taken
place
on
the
beach
of
Flotsam
Point
,
three
miles
from
Granite
House
,
and
at
high
tide
.
It
was
therefore
probable
that
the
cetacean
would
not
be
able
to
extricate
itself
easily
;
at
any
rate
it
was
best
to
hasten
,
so
as
to
cut
off
its
retreat
if
necessary
.
They
ran
with
pick-axes
and
iron-tipped
poles
in
their
hands
,
passed
over
the
Mercy
bridge
,
descended
the
right
bank
of
the
river
,
along
the
beach
,
and
in
less
than
twenty
minutes
the
settlers
were
close
to
the
enormous
animal
,
above
which
flocks
of
birds
already
hovered
.
"
What
a
monster
!
"
cried
Neb.
.
